Update. I finally got good road info, and went right to where it was found tonight with my wife and daughter. The only wetland is a 1/8 mile ravine, that is really shallow, with only sparse water. There's nothing else for miles around. The salamander was found 400 feet from this water. This must be the vernal area it breeds in. I walked into it a bit but didnt' have my waders. Tomorrow night I'm going in with waders. I heard peepers there tonight, and our female spotties are late breeding (some have, some haven't) so I think timing will be perfect (with rain coming too). This white sally has doubled in girth almost and is really full of eggs. I made a hopper out of wire to put her and several males into on the advice of a friend so she gets spermataphores. I hope I see more white animals. Given the history of this area (farming, isolated by hills on all sides), I could find any number of mutations in these pools. Its the strangest spotted salamander spot I've seen. And just so this is on the table, I won't be positive this is a spotted salamander until I see the DNA run on it. I did take a sample. It looks morph wise, most like a spotted. But I want to make sure its not just a fat Jeff hybrid complex animal. To be honest, Petranka doesn't help much with leucistic animals....since the costal groove counts can vary. This has 11. Spotteds can have 11. It stocky, toes are short. SO if anything, the only other thing it can be is a true LL blue spot. The area is farmland, intensive, and then this one tiny wet ravine. Calling it a ravine is saying too much. Its really just a poor depression with some grass. This group could have been there for 200 years with no mixing from any other water ways.

If anyone has any input on clinching the ID of the animal JUST from the photos, let me know. I can email a higher resolution to you personally off list. At least this is fun.

Best,
Kenny

[ Show Entire Thread ]